Waterproof
by staliascleuce
Summary: Deuce knew something was wrong when Cleo didn't bother to insult Toralei back. Her eyes were still and hard, and she gave a curt and short, "I'm fine." when he asked her if she was okay. She walked with her head high, and chin up, her jaw was set tight. To Deuce she looked so regal, so royal. But past her looks and her unwavering facial expression, he knew something was wrong.


_Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry._ The Egyptian princess told herself as she rummaged through her bag furiously looking for her idol. Where was it? Where was it?

"Cleo?" She froze. The door swung open and the Egyptian was a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide and body frozen. But it was only Deuce.

"What took you so long?" she whined.

"I got lost." He shrugged. "Why did you—"

"Did anyone follow you?"

"No.. I-"

"Shut the door."

Deuce was startled to say the least, but he did as told. Cleo continued rummaging through her bag, until her hands reached the sleek gold amulet. Relief flooded through her chest as she grabbed it. She shut her eyes and muttered a few things in her Native language and the amulet glowed green, before the door itself glowed for a minute then receded. "What was that?" The gorgon boy muttered.

"I don't need Spectra or Operetta or _anyone_ for Geb's sake finding this room. From the other side, the door should camouflage with the wall and now the room is soundproof." The princess told him, shoving the idol back into her bag.

"Cleo what's going on? Why did you want to meet in the catacombs?" He moved closer to placed his hands on her waist, hopefully to comfort her in whatever was going on, but Cleo winced hard. Deuce instantly took his hands away. "Cleo?" She kept her head low and forced back a sniffle. "Woah, babe." He ducked hoping her face her.

Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke quietly. "I needed someone to cry to." Seeing Cleo cry was something Deuce rarely saw, she was good at hiding her emotions- too good. The gorgon cupped the De Nile's face and his thumb brushed over her bangs. "Wait.. Cleo." he pushed back the shorter hairs back only to reveal a deep purplish bruise. Deuce was so confused. As he paid more attention, he noticed some more bruises, some larger than others. Did she get into a fight? Cleo never fist fought, her voice was the only weapon she needed, so _why_ …?

"Cleo who did this to you?" His question fell upon deaf ears as she stared soullessly at nothing.

"Cleo, I swear to _Zeus_ _almighty_ , I'll—"

"It was Nefera." She mumbled looking at anything but him. Nefera? He knew Nefera was evil, but was she capable of doing that to Cleo?

The princess started to sob. Fat tears rolled down her face as she wiped at them, more falling in their place. What would mother say now? When did I become so weak? Crying in old and forgotten storage closet with bruises on my skin!

Deuce's voice sounded softer than ever as he carefully embraced his ghoulfriend. "Tell me what happened."

"I need to sit down." She sniffed. She had spent so much time crying last night she passed out from exhaustion. And right now she was already beginning to feel light-headed. "Of course, babe."

Deuce looked around only to see no chairs, and he knew Cleo would never willingly sit on the ground. So he pulled of his jacket and laid it for her to sit and she smiled a small smile.

"Thank you." Deuce kissed her on the cheek, "Anything for my princess."

Deuce sat with his back to the wall with Cleo in between his legs her back resting on his chest. He figured she'd speak when she wanted, so they stayed there for a while. Deuce kissed her cheek couple of times and whispered sweet-nothings in her ear. He called her beautiful, passionate, intelligent. He promised to make her two dozen of her favorite spookies and that he would come spend the night with her if she wanted. He knew her father wouldn't allow it, but Cleo needed someone in that house who didn't constantly attack her for living. And if sneaking in and risking his undead life meant making his ghoul happy? So be it.

"Nefera was in my room, last night. Like she usually was, but this time she wouldn't leave." Cleo started. "Father had left for business a couple hours earlier so it was just me and her. It was well past midnight so all the guards had left to their quarters."

The princess took a shaky breathe and continued, "Nefera was raging about how Daddy wouldn't raise her allowance to twenty thousand instead of ten thousand, and naturally she blamed it on me. Not that I cared at the time, it was a normal thing."

 _"It's all your fault stupid little sister! You shouldn't even be breathing! If it weren't for you, I would've gotten my raised allowance!" The older De Nile roared. Cleo looked at the sun dial only to see that it was one in the morning. She should be getting her beauty-rest right now! "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Nefera fumed swiping the contents of Cleo's desk to the ground. "I was supposed to buy Arscaroh Givaldi's newest collection tomorrow! And now I can't because of YOU!" She threw the nearest jewelry box._

 _"Nefera! What are you doing?!" Cleo had jumped from her bed, running to where **many** broken contents lay. "Ugh, get out of my ROOM!" Cleo seethed._

 _"How dare you tell me what to do!" Nefera had pushed her sister to the ground. "I rule over you, you little twat!" The elder sister growled as she picked up random things to throw at Cleo. "Oh my Ra! You are completely and absolutely insane!" Cleo dived grabbing a large pillow to hide behind._

 _"Oh, I most definitively am." she grabbed the pillow from Cleo's arms and threw it behind her. Nefera stomped her sister's hand, crushing it with the sole of her heel. A piercing scream ripped through Cleo's throat as she started to cry. Nefera was relentless. She kicked at Cleo's side over and over and over and **over** again, grabbing her hair and shoving Cleo's head against the hard floor. "You shouldn't have been born! You brought this on yourself, you worthless piece of trash! I could've had everything if it weren't for you!"_

 _The rampaging sister forced her sister on her back sat on her rib cage. "YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BREATHE THE SAME AIR I BREATHE!" Nefera grabbed the nearest thing, (and obviously that just had to be Cleo's terribly thick Calculus hexbook) and started to hit Cleo with it. "You (hit) should (hit) DIE."_

 _What was to stop Nefera from doing all of this? The guards weren't here, and her father was out of town! Nefera could do what ever she wanted to Cleo._

 _Cleo screamed and Cleo cried. She'd never been in so much physical and emotional pain. And soon it became too much and the younger princess blacked out. Nefera stopped when this happened. "Hmph. Well it's no fun when you're not reacting," She muttered stomping away towards her room._

 _It took an hour for Cleo to wake up in pain. She muffled her sobs, there was no need to wake up Nefera. "I need to call Father." And so she did, she was surprised when he answered her call. He asked her what she needed and she explained to him everything that had happened._

 _"That is nonsense!" He shouted through the phone._

 _"B-But Daddy! It's true!"_

 _"How DARE you call me to- to give me this complete and utter silly babble. How DARE you disrespect your SISTER and accuse her of such things! And how DARE you waste my PRECIOUS time only to lie to me!"_

 _"Father, I would nev-"_

 _"That's ENOUGH, Cleo. I instructed you to call if you and or Nefera were in an emergency. Not to tell me petty lies for my attention!"_

 _"I- I-"_

 _"Are you CRYING? How DARE you cry! Cleopatra De Nile you a **disgrace** to the family name! Hang up the phone this instant and do **not** call me for anything else."_

 _"Y-Yes, Daddy. I'm sorry."_

 _And the phone went dead._

"I... I don't know what to say." Deuce was stunned, he knew the De Nile family was a bit dysfunctional but this... this was something on a completely different level. He was at a complete lost for words. Had this happened before? When Cleo just random took days off of school, saying she just didn't feel like going?

Cleo was grateful that he didn't say anything. She didn't need a pity-party, she needed comfort. She cried hard and Deuce did comfort her, he kissed her face often and he let her cry. She had a lot bottled up, it was about time before her emotions decided to pour out.

When her crying died down, her swollen and red eyes rose to meet his shades. "Could I stay with you? _Just until my Father comes back_." She sounded shy and so vulnerable, he'd never seen her this way.

"You don't need to ask." He moved his hand to trace her face, his thumb moving over her lips before he kissed her. The kiss was deep enough to make the ocean weep of jealousy. When they pulled away, Cleo's eyes were still closed but she had the dreamiest look on her face. Deuce's kisses always made her feel better, but that one had left her on cloud nine. "I love you... more than anything." she said.

"I love you more." He responded. The princess rose her lips to his once more then pulled away, sighing in content as her body finally went slack, soon drifting off to sleep.


End file.
